Lawmakers Call for Reform after Secrecy Story Breaks

Lawmakers Call for Reform after Secrecy Story Breaks

Article excerpt

Kansas lawmakers from across the political spectrum say they'll push to fix the state's culture of secrecy after a newspaper highlighted alarming levels of opacity in state and local government.

Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer pledged last week to address the problem of transparency. Colyer is set to take over as governor if Gov. Sam Brownback is confirmed as an ambassador.

"Transparency is absolutely critical to increase Kansans' confidence in government," Colyer said. "I look forward to taking steps to increase transparency and improve public trust when I become governor."

Colyer didn't weigh in on specific questions raised in the series, nor did he offer policy moves he'd pursue to increase transparency, as some of his competitors for the 2018 Republican nomination did.

The Star's series on secrecy highlighted several examples of state and local agencies hiding information from the public. …